Sean Anderson was working on BP’s Unity platform, 97 miles off the coast of Aberdeen, when the incident happened just after 4am on Thursday.

The 43-year-old, who was from the Tyne and Wear area, was working for the company Cape.

It is thought that he was part of a 15-man crew who were carrying out routine maintenance work on the North Sea platform at the time of the incident.

Simon Hicks, UK managing director of Cape, said: “We remain shocked and saddened by what happened. Our thoughts are with Sean’s family whom we will support in any way we can.

“Sean was a popular, hard-working and experienced employee. His co-workers are obviously shaken and saddened by the incident and we are making sure they too have all the support they need.

“We don’t know how or why this incident happened but we will co-operate fully with Police Scotland and the HSE in their investigation.”

BP's Unity platform in the North Sea where a man has died (Image: BP/PA Wire)

Police are carrying out a full investigation to find out exactly what happened.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “We are carrying out a joint investigation with partners including the Health and Safety Executive under the direction of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to determine the full circumstances.”